


Complications & Comfort

by afteriwake



Series: Where Speech Ends [15]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 16:58:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4229688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Molly is so sure that when all the information is gathered from Moriarty's second in command Sherlock is going to have to leave again, but when he confirms that he does indeed need to leave London he also asks her to come with him. As they head to Scotland things don't go according to plan and Molly is almost hurt. When she has a nightmare later that night she realizes Sherlock is also awake, and they turn to music to comfort themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Complications & Comfort

**Author's Note:**

  * For [horrorfangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/horrorfangirl/gifts).



> So now comes the "the plot has thickened!" part. A little more international intrigue for you. This story was inspired by “Waiting” by Allred, which also features Lindsey Stirling, who I adore.

**When was the last time you took a train ride?**

“Molly, I have to leave.”

She looked down at her hands. They had come back from their weekend away on Monday afternoon and Mycroft had whisked Sherlock away to go over everything they had learned from Moriarty's second in command. The longer it had taken the more she worried that he was going to have to leave again, leave her alone again, and here her worst fears were being confirmed. He was going to leave again and once again there was the chance he wouldn't come back. “I see,” she said.

He paused, and then he came over to the sofa, sitting next to her. “I know I have no right to ask, but there was an implied threat to your safety. Mycroft said he'd post people around your home and at St. Bart's, and he'd keep you safe. But I want you with me. I want you where I can make sure you're all right.”

She lifted her head up quickly, looking at him with wide eyes. “You want me to go with you?” she asked.

He nodded. “I trust my brother, but if you're here and I'm not I will worry. I'll be distracted, and I can't afford to be. I want you close because I need to make sure you're all right. I need to see it and...” He trailed off, looking down. “But more than that, I need you to be close. I don't know how long this will take, whether we'll be gone weeks or months, and this is a major disruption to your life, but--” She cut him off by framing his face and pressing her lips against his. He relaxed into the kiss, moving his hands to keep her close to him. It didn't matter how long it took. This time he wasn't going off alone. He wasn't leaving her behind again. They would deal with it together, face the threat head on. When he finally pulled away he rested his forehead against hers. “Pack lightly. Just use your largest suitcase. Mycroft has promised he will keep anything you leave behind safe so don't worry about that.”

“All right,” she said. She kissed him again quickly before pulling away, heading towards her bedroom and pulling out the largest piece of luggage in her matched set. She began to look through her clothing and took things for various climates. She had the feeling this was a chase that was going to take them all over the world, because it was Moriarty leading it. If he didn't want to be found he'd make sure he wasn't. He'd been doing that quite well for nearly a year now. It took some time for her to finish, and she wheeled it out to Sherlock before picking up her handbag from where she had put it. “I'm ready.”

“My bag is in the car Mycroft provided for us,” he said. “We need to go to Edinburgh and then on to Inverness. I'll find the next breadcrumb Moriarty left there.”

She nodded as they headed towards the door of her flat. “It's going to be a long trip, then,” she said.

“And this probably won't be the only time,” he said, opening the door and stepping outside. She stepped into the doorway and then paused, looking around. This might very well be the last time she saw her home in this state. Just because Mycroft said he would protect it all didn't mean he actually _could_. “Molly?”

“Toby will be taken care of?” she asked.

Sherlock nodded. “I'm not entirely sure Mycroft will give him back if they get on well, but he'll be taking care of Toby personally. He assured me of this.”

“Good.” She gave it all one last look and then stepped out into the hallway. She pulled her keys out of her handbag and locked the door behind her before she and Sherlock made their way out to the street level. She saw a car waiting there with a driver standing next to it, and he took her suitcase from her and put it in the boot as Sherlock opened the rear door of the car. She slipped inside and sat on the far side, looking out across the street. Sherlock got in after her and they were quiet as the car took them to the train station. She let Sherlock handle everything and soon they were settled in the first class section. “How are we going to be able to afford all the travel?” she asked Sherlock.

“I have a credit card with a nearly unlimited credit limit, courtesy of the British government. Anything we need we can buy,” he said. “Mycroft has even allowed for us to not have to travel standard class, which is generally a requirement.”

“I see,” she said with a nod.

“I'm sorry to pull you away from your well-ordered life,” he said quietly.

She reached over for his hand and laced her fingers between his. “But we're together, and that's important,” she said. “That's probably the most important thing. This time you aren't doing it on your own.”

He squeezed her hand and then let go, turning his attention to the other occupants of the train. She supposed he would have to stay on alert, because if there was a threat to her she might not be safe until they were out of London. She tried to distract herself with her Kindle, looking at the story she'd been reading before they had their weekend away, but she was having trouble concentrating. Finally she gave up and settled for taking her iPod out and listening to music. It was a very long train ride, and towards the end of it Sherlock had seemed to be tenser than he had been at the beginning. He got on his mobile as they got closer to the end of the ride, and when he was done they had pulled into the train station in Scotland. He leaned over as passengers began disembarking. “Inverness will have to wait,” he said. “I contacted my brother because I think someone slipped onto the train to follow us.”

She froze. “What are we going to do?”

“Mycroft has people who will take care of it, but he wants us to lay low and take a different train later,” he said. “Act natural no matter what happens.” He looked out into the aisle. “Take my hand.”

She gathered her things up before she settled her handbag on her shoulder, and then reached over for his hand when she was ready. She grasped it tightly as she stood and then he led them off the train. They were close to the area where they could claim their baggage when Sherlock moved them towards what seemed to be a more secluded area. Molly could clearly see someone following them as the amount of people milling about thinned out. He seemed to be a rather nondescript tall blonde man. She and Sherlock were nearly to a dark shaded area when the man picked up the speed with which he was walking. When he got close he lunged at her from behind, but Sherlock was prepared and moved into his path, throwing a punch and knocking the man out. He stood over the man's unconscious body and sent a quick text. Then, after making sure no one else had followed them, he took Molly's hand again. “We need to abandon our luggage for the moment. Mycroft's people will pick it up and deliver it to us once I inform him of where we're staying.”

“All right,” she said with a nod. It took them some time, but soon they were at a hotel, settled into a room on the third floor, and Sherlock was standing by the window. Molly had made use of the hotel's rather nice washroom to take a long bath and try to relax. She was still on edge from the incident at the train station, though she was calmer than she had been when she'd checked in thanks to a bottle of wine Sherlock had ordered for her from room service and the two glasses she'd drank during her bath. She had a fluffy white bath robe on now and she sat on the edge of the bed, towel drying her hair and looking at Sherlock. “Is everything all right?” she asked.

“If I hadn't noticed he was acting suspiciously he could have gotten hold of you,” he said quietly, not looking away from the window. “I could have lost you right from the outset.”

“But you didn't,” she said, pausing in her actions with her hair. “You kept me safe, just like you promised you would. And you'll keep doing it. I have faith in you.”

He nodded before pulling himself away from the window. He sat next to her and watched her. “We should get some sleep soon. I expect Mycroft will want us to leave quite early, once today's problem has been taken care of.”

“All right,” she said. She finished drying her hair and took the towel back into the washroom, hanging it up to dry. She ran a comb through her hair to get the tangles out, and then braided it since it was still wet, securing it with one of the elastic bands she usually wore on her wrist. When she came back out Sherlock had taken off his suit jacket and his shirt was unbuttoned, leaving his chest bare. She watched him shrug out of it and then begin to work on his trousers. He was down to his pants when he glanced up at her. She gave him a grin. “I was just admiring the view.”

“I see,” he said. “Are you going to put your knickers back on before you go to bed?”

She shook her head. “I actually enjoyed sleeping in the buff next to you this past weekend.” She moved over to the other side of the bed from him and untied the robe before letting it fall from her shoulders. She pulled back the bedding and got into the bed as Sherlock stripped out of his pants. He joined her a few moments later and pulled her close against him, her back pressed against his chest. She felt herself begin to relax more and she shut her eyes. Despite still being on edge she managed to go to sleep fairly quickly, though it wasn't restful. The events replayed over in her head, with each end result getting worse and worse. When the man in her dreams shot Sherlock her eyes snapped open and she sat up, trying to catch her breath. After a moment she felt Sherlock sit up next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “It's just a nightmare,” she said, bracing his arms with hers.

“You're safe,” he said, resting his chin on her shoulder as he pressed his chest to her back. “I'm here. I'll keep you safe.”

“I know,” she said. She turned in his grip and to look at him and he lifted his head up. “I'm sorry I woke you up.”

“I hadn't slept yet,” he said. “I was listening to some music in an attempt to relax enough to join you in sleep.”

“Anything in particular start to help?” she asked.

“No, but there was a song that gave me hope,” he said. He pulled away and reached over towards the nightstand on his side of the bed. He handed her the headphones he used and she slipped them into her ears. He fiddled with the iPod and then stopped, and after a moment she heard an acoustic guitar and a violin playing a very familiar song. Sherlock laid back down on the bed, flat on his back, and she curled up next to him and rested her head on his chest.

_I know the world has got you down_  
_And there's just no easy way around_  
_But please don't listen to what they say_  
_And don't lose hope and don't lose faith_

She could feel his chest vibrate slightly, and she realized he was humming along with the song. He must have listened to it multiple times to know what part it was at without actually listening to it. After a moment she lifted her head up and offered him one of the earbuds. He took it as the chorus started and she heard him singing along, his voice very quiet.

“It's gonna be all right, just don't close your eyes, the whole world is waiting,” he sang before taking a breath. “I know you can do this on your own, but it helps to know you're not alone. And it won't make sense when things go wrong, but love will help you carry on.” She slipped the other earbud out and shut her eyes, placing a hand on his chest by her head. He didn't seem to realize she wasn't listening to the actual song anymore. “It's gonna be all right, just don't close your eyes, the whole world is waiting,” he continued. “You're gonna be just fine, but don't you dare close your eyes. You might miss what's waiting outside.”

“I like listening to you sing it better,” she said quietly.

He moved his hand towards his ear and pulled out his earbud. Then he picked up the player and put it back onto the nightstand before gathering her in his arms. “I don't think I sing it that well,” he said.

“You sound perfect,” she said. “And it's quite soothing.”

“I can finish it, if you want,” he said.

She shook her head slightly before lifting it up. “I think I would much rather have a different type of distraction,” she said, leaning in towards him. She kissed him softly, and he moved a hand up to undo her braid and tangle his fingers in her hair as he kissed her back. After a moment he rolled them over so she was on her back, and she was perfectly content to lose herself in the moment, to lose herself in him, and ignore the world for just a little while.


End file.
